(Motorsport-Total.com) – Oscar Piastri experienced a difficult afternoon at the Formula 1 race in Madrid. After a collision with George Russell in the first lap, front wing damage, and a complicated strategy, the McLaren driver only finished in eighth place. However, team principal Andrea Stella does not see only external factors as the cause – Piastri still has to think too much while driving.
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“The front wing damage cost Oscar some units of aero balance. That is definitely measurable,” explains Stella. McLaren initially even feared that the lost downforce on the front axle would lead to severe graining. However, the hard tires proved resilient enough for Piastri to stay in the race.
For Stella, the damage was only part of the problem. Piastri had already lost several positions in the first lap. “I think the race was not only affected by the damage to the car but also by the fact that he lost more positions at the start,” said the McLaren team principal.
Piastri loses contact early
Piastri himself describes the first lap as a decisive setback. “It was just a difficult afternoon, literally from the start,” said the Australian. After that, the race was heavily affected by the damage and especially by the lost track position.
Regarding the collision with Russell, Piastri does not see the cause solely with himself. “I was beside him, and he kept pushing me closer to the wall,” he explains. Piastri then braked and tried to avoid Russell. At the same time, both and the other cars braked, which eventually caused the cars to collide.
“I just expected a bit more space. And of course, you can’t create more space between a car and a wall,” said Piastri.
Strategy worsens the problems
McLaren then let Piastri run long on the hard tires. In total, he stayed out for 42 laps. In clean air, the pace with the hard was quite good, says Piastri. However, the team simultaneously tried to make up the time lost due to the VSC misfortune compared to the competitors.
When Piastri caught up to Liam Lawson, this chase was practically over. “Then I was somehow stuck again. That was painful,” he says.
When he later switched to mediums, bad luck added up: Piastri joined a four-car train. The tire itself also did not convince him. “The medium tire was just terrible. It was literally good for one lap and then pretty bad,” explains Piastri.
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Stella sees a fundamental problem
Despite all these factors, Stella believes that Piastri would hardly have performed significantly better without the damage. “Even without the damage, it would have been difficult to get more out of the situation he was in,” said the McLaren team principal.
For Stella, it is therefore clear where McLaren must start. Piastri must first qualify better and be closer to the podium places from the start. In Monza, for example, he was actually third after qualifying but started only sixth due to obstructing a competitor.
“There are several circumstances over which we need to gain more control. We need to execute better and at the same time improve the setup between Oscar and the MCL40,” explains Stella.
“If you drive and think, you get slower”
Stella sees a weakness in Piastri exactly there. The Australian drives and still thinks too much about his decisions at the same time. “Oscar drives and still thinks,” says Stella. “And if you drive and think, things get slower.” This concerns the driver’s decisions and ultimately also the lap time.
“You are slower as a driver when it comes to deciding what to do, and ultimately you are also slower in lap times,” explains Stella.
The analysis of the McLaren team principal is thus clear despite the many external problems. According to the data on strategy-adjusted race pace, Piastri was 1.57 seconds slower per lap in Madrid than teammate Lando Norris. In the end, the Australian only finished eighth.
Stella still sees a clear plan for the upcoming races. “The agenda is very clear on what we need to improve,” he says. He expects McLaren to get these points under control and for Piastri to perform stronger in the further course of the season.
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